Cap having comfortable elastic band

ABSTRACT

A cap includes a hemispherical portion, a visor portion, and an elastic band attached to the bottom peripheral portion of the hemispherical portion, to resiliently engage onto the heads of the users, and to adjustably accommodate a number of various sized heads. The elastic band includes a number of elastic straps and a number of cloth straps alternatively arranged and secured to each other. The elastic straps are made of resilient materials to resiliently engage onto the heads of the users. The cloth straps include a stretchability less than that of the elastic straps, to allow the elastic band to be mostly stretched circumferentially at the elastic straps, and to allow air to ventilate into and out of the cap.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a cap, and more particularly to a caphaving an elastic band for comfortably engaging onto heads of users.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Typical caps, such as baseball caps comprise a hemispherical portion forfitting onto heads of users and formed of a number of rectangular panelsthat are joined to each other by seams, and comprise a visor portionextended forwardly from the hemispherical portion.

For allowing the caps to be snugly fitted onto the heads of the users,the caps normally include an opening formed in the back of thehemispherical portion, opposite to the visor portion, and two strapsextended from the rectangular panels and adjustably secured to eachother with projection-and-orifice engagements, to allow the bottomperipheral portion of the hemispherical portion to be adjusted in sizeto fit various size heads.

However, the straps are normally made of plastic materials, and may notbe easily secured onto the rectangular panels of the hemisphericalportion, such that the caps may not be easily manufactured by factories,and may not be easily used by users.

For avoiding the straps of plastic materials, and for allowing the capsto be easily fitted onto the heads of the users, the other caps havebeen developed and comprise an endless stretchable band attached to thebottom peripheral portion of the hemispherical portion, to adjustablyaccommodate a number of various sized heads.

For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,415 to Beckerman, and U.S. Pat. No.6,052,831 to Park disclose two of the typical caps each also comprisinga hemispherical portion for fitting onto heads of users, and a visorportion extended forwardly from the hemispherical portion, and anendless stretchable band attached to the bottom peripheral portion ofthe hemispherical portion, to adjustably accommodate a number of varioussized heads.

However, the endless stretchable bands are attached all around thebottom peripheral portions of the hemispherical portions, and may alsotightly engaged onto and around the outer peripheral portions of theheads of the users, such that air may not be easily ventilated throughthe stretchable bands and may not be easily ventilated into and out ofthe caps, and such that the heads of the users may not feel comfortable.

The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate theafore-described disadvantages of the conventional caps.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a capincluding an elastic band for comfortably engaging onto heads of users,and for allowing air to be easily ventilated through the elastic bandand to be easily ventilated into and out of the cap.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a capcomprising a hemispherical portion for fitting onto heads of users, andincluding a bottom peripheral portion, a visor portion extendedforwardly from the hemispherical portion, and an elastic band attachedto the bottom peripheral portion of the hemispherical portion, toresiliently engage onto the heads of the users, and to adjustablyaccommodate a number of various sized heads. The elastic band includes anumber of elastic straps and a number of cloth straps alternativelyarranged and secured to each other, to allow the elastic straps to bealternatively arranged and secured between the cloth straps, and theelastic straps are made of resilient materials to resiliently engageonto the heads of the users. The cloth straps include a stretchabilityless than that of the elastic straps, to allow the elastic band to bemostly stretched circumferentially at the elastic straps.

The cloth straps are made of woven or non-woven cloth materials. Theelastic band is attached to the bottom peripheral portion of thehemispherical portion with at least one seam. The hemispherical portionincludes a number of rectangular panels joined to each other by seams.

Further objectives and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from a careful reading of the detailed description providedhereinbelow, with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cap in accordance with the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial plan view of the elastic band of the cap;and

FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial plan view illustrating the operation ofthe cap.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings, and initially to FIGS. 1 and 2, a cap inaccordance with the present invention comprises a hemispherical portion10 for fitting onto heads of users and formed of a number of rectangularpanels 11 that are joined to each other by seams 12, a visor portion 13extended forwardly from the hemispherical portion 10.

The cap further includes an elastic band 20 attached or secured into aninner portion of a bottom peripheral portion 14 of the hemisphericalportion 10, to resiliently engage onto the heads of the users, and toadjustably accommodate a number of various sized heads. For example, theelastic band 20 may also be secured onto the bottom peripheral portion14 of the hemispherical portion 10 with one or more seams 15.

The elastic band 20 is preferably a sweat band and includes a number ofelastic straps 21 and a number of cloth straps 22 alternatively arrangedand secured to each other with such as stitches or seams 23, to allowthe elastic straps 21 to be alternatively arranged and secured betweenthe cloth straps 22. The elastic straps 21 are made of resilient orelastic materials for snugly and tightly and resiliently engage onto theheads of the users.

The cloth straps 22 are preferably made of woven or non-woven clothmaterials, and include a stretchability less than that of the elasticstraps 21, such that the elastic band 20 is mostly stretchedcircumferentially at the elastic straps 21 as indicated by the arrows24, best shown in FIG. 3.

It is to be noted that the cloth straps 22 will not be resiliently ortightly engaged onto the heads of the users as the elastic straps 21, toallow air to easily ventilate through the cloth straps 22 of the elasticband 20 and to easily ventilate into and out of the cap, such that theusers may feel more comfortable.

Accordingly, the cap in accordance with the present invention includesan elastic band for comfortably engaging onto heads of users, and forallowing the air to be easily ventilated through the elastic band and tobe easily ventilated into and out of the cap.

Although this invention has been described with a certain degree ofparticularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure hasbeen made by way of example only and that numerous changes in thedetailed construction and the combination and arrangement of parts maybe resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as hereinafter claimed.

1. A cap comprising: a hemispherical portion for fitting onto heads ofusers, and including a bottom peripheral portion, and including aplurality of rectangular panels joined to each other by seams, a visorportion extended forwardly from said hemispherical portion, and anelastic band attached to said bottom peripheral portion of saidhemispherical portion with at least one seam, to resiliently engage ontothe heads of the users, and to adjustably accommodate a number ofvarious sized heads, said elastic band including a plurality of elasticstraps and a plurality of cloth straps alternatively arranged andsecured to each other, to allow said elastic straps to be alternativelyarranged and secured between said cloth straps, and said elastic strapsbeing made of resilient materials to resiliently engage onto the headsof the users, and said cloth straps including a stretchability less thanthat of said elastic straps, to allow said elastic band to be mostlystretched circumferentially at said elastic straps, said cloth strapsbeing made of woven or non-woven cloth materials. 2-4. (canceled)